New York Governor David Paterson released the state's Executive Budget for next year this week, cutting the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) by more than $71 million and eliminating TAP for graduate students. The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) is asking New York campus communities to call on New York's Legislators to restore these funds.

The CICU gives these suggestions for supporting their advocacy for saving aid.

1. Please visit our e-mail advocacy site http://capwiz.com/cicu/home to write to your elected officials and other key higher education policymakers.

2. Join our campaign on Facebook to stay informed.

3. Forward the information to your family, friends, and colleagues to encourage their participation.

More than 315,000 students are depending on state assistance to meet their college costs this year. Further, four million students have received state aid during the past four decades.

In a year when 35 years of TAP and 40 years of HEOP are being celebrated in Albany, help protect these vital sources of student aid by contacting elected officials and policymakers is imperative.